Spring 2017 Haute Couture: Julien Fournié's Kinetic Inspirations

Five days before his haute couture presentation for Spring-Summer 2017, Julien Fournié’s atelier is eerily quiet. On a wall, sketches of the collection, each one with small pieces of fabrics attached, have the word “DONE” written across them, on another wall headshots of the models who will participate in his runway presentation are already set out in order. In a corner, shoeboxes holding his latest creations (in yellow and pink) are stacked neatly, while nearby most of the 37 completed outfits hang in covers that protect the sequins and embroideries.

Only a bright lemon yellow dress on a mannequin is still to be finished. “This dress keeps on evolving. I keep on adding to the cascade effect, to give it more depth. I’ve just pinned these (ruffles) and they’re going to be sewn this afternoon,” the designer tells Couturenotebook.

Fournié indicates a bustier dress with a late 1950s silhouette that he says recreates the “essence of a fashion sketch, like a dripping of embroideries.” The opener of the show, this stricking creation needs to be seen up close to fully appreciate the craftsmanship as splashes of color that look like paint are actually embroidered sequins.

This is Fournié’s first presentation of an haute couture collection since he was granted the official title of Grand Couturier by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, a title given infrequently. He founded his couture house in 2009, having previously worked as creative director for Torrente Haute Couture.

Titled “First Kinetics” the Spring-Summer 2017 collection was inspired by artworks from the late ‘50s early ‘60s, with references to kinetic sculptures by Alexander Calder, the colorful paint splashes of Jackson Pollock (as seen on the opening dress), Andy Warhol’s sharp pop colors, and the abstraction style of Raymond Moretti.

“I really wanted to think about how 2D could be recreated in 3D,” he explains.

My two favorite looks of the collection were a black dress with an amazing fabric (scratched paper and silk woven) that created a 3D effect of small patches exploding like a pinata, and very elegant 1950s silhouette with a beautiful barely there silk jacquard organza with artistic patches of colors